Far from the Demon Abode, in a lush room, eight people were seated around what appeared to be a meeting. Three were on one side of a large golden table, four on the other. At the head of the table sat a woman who could only be described as the true definition of beauty, scrolling through a glass tablet with an emotionless expression.
Despite her blank face, she was undeniably stunning. She looked to be in her 20s, but everyone knew that since the apocalypse, humans no longer aged like they used to. She might be very old, but she didn't appear a day older than 20. Suddenly, she looked up from her tablet and spoke.
"Report." That was all she said, her voice cold yet commanding.
A young man who appeared to be in his late 30s, having short black hair, handsome features, and a scythe tattoo on his forehead, spoke up.
"Everything seems fine in the Southern Union. No new threats, aside from that bastard still hiding in the mountains. The War Gods and Goddesses are always on high alert, so everything's pretty chill."
Another man, also handsome but with a rather unusual set of pink eyes, chimed in next. "Seems like someone's targeting the Dark Order. From the reports I got from the Eastern Region of the Northern Union, all their assassins in that area have vanished. It's safe to say they're all dead.
"They're not saying much, but according to my contacts, they're pissed—and scared. Somebody's wiping them out." He smiled, his pink eyes shining, giving him an oddly beautiful look instead of just handsome. He is almost too pretty for his own good.
"That is to be expected," the lady at the head of the table said, still maintaining her emotionless look. She turned to a young woman who looked like she had been carved from ice. Her long, snow-blue hair matched her snow-blue eyes, and her cherry-red lips and high cheekbones only added to her charm.
"How are things in the Glacial Union?" she asked.
The blue-haired woman, equally cold but more relaxed in her expression, replied, "Everything is going well. We discovered a new ice crystal mine last week and have already started mining. That's all."
The woman at the head of the table nodded and then turned her attention to the last four people seated on the other side. "How's the exploration of the ruins going?" she asked.
Just as one of them was about to respond, a device began beeping. She raised a finger, signaling for silence, and tapped on a small projector device.
"Sorry, Overlord, but you need to turn on the news. Something big just happened," a young woman's voice came through before the projection faded away.
With a tap of a button, all eyes turned to the large screen. As it flickered to life, Klaus's image appeared.
"This kid again. What did he do this time?" the blue-haired lady muttered, her gaze fixed on the screen.
The cold lady narrowed her eyes but didn't reply. Instead, she glanced at Klaus's image again and spoke.
"Dharma, I'll leave the reward to you. Since he's in your union, do as you see fit." The pink-eyed man smiled.
"Brother Dharma, take me with you when you go," the red-haired woman said.
"To do what?" the cold lady asked.
"To be your wingwoman, of course! With your rigid, frosty looks, I don't trust you to pull this off on your own," the redhead said with a playful smile.
"You—" The cold lady started to retort but stopped herself, realizing the redhead was the only doing that to make her look miserable. And now, she'd gotten under her skin, cracking her cold exterior.
"By the way," the blue-haired man, who Dharma referred to as 'Water Boy,' spoke up again, his earlier expression now melting slightly. "It seems Klaus won't have it easy during the Union Trial. I've heard the Duncan Legacy family has banned him from entering Union City where the Union Trial will take place."
"Don't worry, I'll handle it," Dharma said with a smirk.
"No, don't. Let him deal with it himself," the cold lady replied, surprising everyone with her unusual response.
"Big sister, you're not planning to use the Duncan family to kill him before he manages to break through that ice-cold heart of yours, are you?" the redhead teased, making the cold lady narrow her eyes in warning.
"Fine, fine. Klaus will handle his issues without interference from the Overlords. Jeez, you scare me sometimes. Just make sure you don't look at him that way—you might frighten him off, and then you'll die lonely!" Before the cold lady could respond, the redhead vanished from the room, leaving her cheeky laughter echoing behind.
"Annoying b*tch," the cold lady muttered, sighing. The others exchanged glances before vanishing as well, signaling the premature end of the meeting.
She glanced at the image of Klaus again, her expression softening briefly. "He really is handsome..." she muttered, but immediately regretted it.
"I knew it!" the redhead suddenly reappeared, grinning as she walked closer, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Don't worry, big sister. This brat will be yours soon enough."